The Spice and Tea Exchange

More Traveling Tea Box tea!

There is a Spice and Tea Exchange in Asheville, NC? Really? I have read reviews for their teas, but pictured them only being in some exotic, distant locale, like California. LOL! But Asheville is in my state, though a good five hour drive away or more.

This is a far simpler tea than the Chocolate Chili Chai I just tried, but I really think I like it better. I am getting a nice Keemun flavor, which is already chocolatey, with the addition of some chocolate on top of that.

I try to drink all my tea plain, and I like this one sans additions. For those who add milk and sugar, I feel sure this tea would go over the top to decadent dessert tea status.

Very nice.

Originally published at The Nice Drinks In Life: http://thenicedrinksinlife.blogspot.com/2012/12/bonita-peach-rooibos-tea.html

Name: Bonita Peach Rooibos Tea
Ingredients: Green Rooibos Plant, Sunflower Petals, Orange Peel, Natural Peach & Strawberry Flavoring
Purveyor: The Spice & Tea Exchange
Preparation: One teaspoon steeped in about eight ounces of boiling water for 5:00, sipped plain

Tea is what brews from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves can be treated in a way that includes oxidation, creating black tea, or else in a different way that does not, creating green tea (or, of course, in any of a few other ways as well).

Any time that one steeps something not from the Camellia sinensis plant one gets a tisane, more commonly known as herbal tea. Some herbal teas are comprised of cheap plant parts whose only purpose is to hold the myriad artificial flavorings that make them taste so yummy. However, there are also very many species of flora that, though not related to Camellia sinensis, create legitimate brewed beverages in their own rights. Principle among these are hibiscus, chamomile, rooibos, and yerba mate. (The latter, in fact, is even naturally caffeinated, an extremely rare distinction among tisanes.)

Rooibos, naturally non-caffeinated, comes from the leaves of the Aspalathus linearis plant, a legume native to South Africa. The word “rooibos” comes from the Afrikaans for “red bush”, and its beverage is also known as “red tea” for, of course, its red color. So imagine my surprise to read that I was drinking a “green rooibos”. Surely, unless we are describing Christmas decor, this must be a contradiction, either a silly error or a cheap marketing ploy.

No, not at all, in fact. It turns out that what gives standard rooibos its red color is the oxidation that it undergoes during treatment – the same thing that gives black tea its black color. Green rooibos leaves are not oxidized. Avoiding oxidation “results in a grassy, naturally sweet flavor and a lower tannin content,” as The Spice & Tea Exchange tells me, and boy is that ever so.

The Bonita Peach Rooibos Tea has the dual benefits of being an authentic green rooibos tea and chock full of some excellent natural flavoring, both at the same time. Observing the dry leaves, one enjoys a complete medley of colors with delightful, almost wood-like tones. The ingredients present as straight little sticks of light green, brown, yellow, orange, tan, and maroon. They fall together in patterns of little square clusters such that, while still packed tight in the bag, they look like the floor of the the Boston Celtics’s home court before (or after?) a paint job. Taking in the leaves’ aroma, one can smell the peach right away, with a mere wisp of spices and herbs. It is rich, sensual, sweet. If the leaves’ colors belong to autumn, then the scent belong right in the heat of August on a hot, lazy day, the kind of day on which one can expect to find oneself biting into a ripe peach and chewing on the soft flesh as the strong, sugary juice allocates itself between one’s throat and one’s chin.

The tisane brews into a light, golden orange liquid, rich and suave. The aroma is also rich, smooth, a succinct combination of sweetness and spice. Or perhaps more herbs than spice in this case; the orange peel and the floral hints are unmistakeable, and of course the peach is hardly away in hiding. Sipping it brings back a wonderful memory. In many sushi houses – including, at least, the one where I grew up – along with the check come sucking candies, and not just any ol’ sucking candies but ones absolutely packed full of the most perfumey peach syrup on earth. Well, take the intensity level down to normal, and there you have the initial layer of flavor of this herbal tea. As it hits the back of the tongue one gets a complex floral note balanced by both the sweetness and the rooibos itself, which is finally emerging from obscurity into a more visible role.

Those who require caffeine in the morning will probably want to stick with Camellia sinensis or yerba mate (or coffee). But otherwise, the Bonita Peach Rooibos Tea fits in nicely at any time of the day. The flavors are lively, the body is smooth, and the sweetness is a real peach. Enjoy.

Originally Published at The Nice Drinks In Life: http://thenicedrinksinlife.blogspot.com/2012/11/organic-jade-cloud-green-tea.html

Origin: China
Type: Organic Jade Cloud Green Tea
Purveyor: The Spice & Tea Exchange
Preparation: One teaspoon steeped in about eight ounces of boiling water for 2:30, sipped plain

I suppose it is only right to open with a disclaimer about labeling this tea as organic: the pouch in which my sample of this tea was packaged at The Spice & Tea Exchange’s Newport, Rhode Island, store does not say anything about being organic. However, its website does declare that the Jade Cloud Green Tea is organic. While labels can be old or printed erroneously, websites are easily correctable and updateable. So, I tend to presume that in the event of a discrepancy, the website should be given the benefit of the doubt. But again, a disclaimer is only fair for my kind patrons.

In any event, the Jade Cloud green tea is exquisite. Whatever label the Spice & Tea Exchange puts on it, that soon becomes of quite little interest in the presence of such a charismatic beverage. The dry leaves are, aptly, of a dark jade color, withered down but without curling into the leaf equivalent of the fetal position, as many other teas are wont to do. These Jade Cloud leaves are long, elegant, curvy, almost supple looking from a slight distance. And when getting a sense of their aroma, I was greeted not with a statement but with a question: can an aroma be matte? I do not mean dampened; the fruity tones are wonderfully vibrant. But there is a certain quality to them, almost like a gloss-over except decidedly not glossy – perhaps we can call it a haze-over. It is slight, and gives the aroma (which also includes an undertone of nuttiness) great texture, and in my mind’s eye, when I sniff these leaves, that texture is quite distinctly matte. There is no other way to explain it.

That would normally be plenty of character for a tea, but in the case of the Jade Cloud here, we are just warming up – literally, in fact, as the water was boiling to brew the tea as I pondered the dry leaves. When brewed, the tea emerges very light, almost delicate in color. It is pale yellow. The nuttiness comes out much more in the aroma when brewed, and in fact becomes the predominant note. There is also just a touch of maltiness and fruit beneath it all. Could that maltiness be the manifestation of the matte quality that I found in the dry leaves? Could it all really have been just what malt smells like before being brewed? How intriguing.

When sipped the tea immediately shows itself to be quite comforting and cozy, key qualities this time of year. The flavor is subtle; not too tannic, not too malty, just right. The package, which mentions a chestnut flavor, is proven correct on that count. The tea is full bodied, even, and evidently glad to please. There is a bit of fruitness to the finish.

The Jade Cloud Green Tea has plenty of personality, but unlike many beverages brimming with character, it does not heave it at us in a frantic effort to boast of glitz and glam. Rather, it welcomes in anyone who would enter, and explores its own depths with us, sharing the adventure at our own pace. Such keen reserve makes it most ideal as an afternoon tea. In fact, I look forward to another cup of it this afternoon, and encourage everyone else to partake as well.

This one is new from Spice & Tea Exchange and I first tried it when a friend of mine brought it over with her cool blue cast iron teapot to brew in not too long ago. I haven’t been able to forget this tea since then and today I finally went out and bought some.
It smells incredible. Blueberry scrumptiousness. I love that there are real blueberry pieces in it and that its a Yunnan black tea.
I really like the Spice & Tea Exchange, its the only good tea store experience I can have down here.

The first pot I made is just not the same as the first time I had it… but perhaps I need more time with it. Maybe her tea pot was seasoned with this tea as she told me its been the only one brewed in it for a while.
What ended up making this tea awesome for me this time was a cranberry orange white chocolate cookie from whole foods. It was amazing and I didn’t know I even liked cranberry orange.

Anyway, I’ve been on a crazy blueberry tea kick lately, and tried some other blueberry teas not worth mentioning. I wanted to add almond milk to this but it has to defrost from being in the back of the fridge (yeah thats not normal) so I had to use regular milk instead. I also used blue agave and its much better now.
I want to figure out how to create those blueberry tea mistos I used to get at Starbucks before they took them away.

Thanks, CupofTree!

Made this before heading to meet up for a group project this morning.

It doesn’t really taste like much of anything than herbal tea mixed with mate…maybe a tad sweet. Not bad but there are plenty of other mates I like better. There’s nothing really remarkable about it for me.

It did its job though, I’ve got 2 hours on campus left and I’m not even sure when I last yawned!

How is it possible that I’ve never posted a review for this!? no way, this has got to be one of those that were lost in server upgrades.
I’ve had it for so long…
Anyhow, whites scare me lately. I always worry that a jasmine note will pop up and turn me off, as it tends to do every now and again. A few times it’s happened in teas that I previously loved! and those whose reviews/descriptions make no mention of Jasmine anywhere.
but today, in an effort to purge some of my tea I thought it should get used up a little (still a few pots left- well, it IS old tea)
Luckily, in this first steep there some deep and rounded floral notes, along with that refreshing delicate note I so love. Naturally sweet yet tart, it requires no additions whatsoever. Reminds me of spring. and rhubarb for some reason. Very tasty. I can’t wait to have my second cup!

Wowsa, I just realized… I’ve made 8 different tea beverages today!! (counting those I brewed for family)
Granted, two of those are in the fridge for tomorrow, but still, I believe that is a record for me. Woohoo!

rating: 93

Thank you Bonnie for passing along this sample!

I brought 4 ounces of water to a boil and let it cool for a minute. Poured it over the teaspoon sample of dry leaf for three minutes, resulting in a pale yellow liquor. This has a slightly fuller body compared to GM’s coconut pouching offering. The coconut flavoring in The Spice and Tea Exchange is very similar to that of GM’s; it light and refreshing.

A resteep with slightly hotter water and an additional minute of brew time provided an equally enjoyable cup!

In the third steeping, the coconut taste is much less so, but there’s still plenty of oolong flavor to press forward for those who are looking to get the most bang for their buck.

This is definitely a contender as a cupboard staple, especially since it’s half the price!

Thanks to “Bonnie” for this sample… (And Many Others ;-))

This tea was good, pleasant and well blended, but too fruity for my taste! I like to taste the “Tea” for all of it’s intricacies!!

I like this tea. Nice flavor and steeps well. I let it sit a bit long because we had company and it still held up flavor without getting too bitter.

This was as lovely a coconut oolong as the one I have from Rishi, if not moreso. Mellow and flavourful and just . . . delightful. Yum.

Not a fan of this one at all. I adore cinnamon but that is the undercurrent here. I have no idea what the main notes are, but plum they are not to my tastes. I couldn’t even finish the mug. :(

Tea of the afternoon…..

This is another sample I received from Indigobloom. Thank you, as I will be trying all the teas from the Spice and Tea Exchange that you sent…. I feel an order for the Coconut Oolong coming on :)…….

This one is not for me. I do like white teas, but as time progresses, I have less and less of a tolerance for hibiscus/roselle in tea unless it is incredibly light. I am really amazed at all the tea blends that include hibiscus. I do think it lighter than some in this blend, and it really is a beautiful tea, with a berry red color when brewed. Smells like a lovely berry flavor. Perhaps I should have tried a little sweetener.

Mug method, 3 minutes at about 180.

Many thanks to Indigobloom for a package of lovely teas to sample. I chose to drink this first as I have had a long and sordid past with Darjeelings, originally deeming them unworthy of drinking due to thier tendency to turn bitter and over extract, but found myself stunned by Darjeeling Ambootia and finding the error was mine, by lack of water temp, steep time and g. weight control. Once I realized this, I was won over heartily by Darjeelings and now find them to be a benchmark of craft and flavor complexity.

I was surprised that this one did not have an estate assigned to it; this usually meaning that the tea is a blend of 2nd and 3rd flush. The very fine cut of the leaf would also seem to support this.

Indigobloom was kind enough to have send 5g, which I place in a porcelian gawian and transfered to a traditional cuppers cup; using 200 degree water and almost pour directly from gawian to cup. 5 grams allowed for nearly 5 hearty steeps and while normally I would go the distance with aroma profiling, the package it came in also included a fragrant coconut oolong that dominated the other teas and I felt I wasn’t sure what aroma was carried over from that.

Upon first sip I thought perhaps the scent from the oolong had also gotton to the Darjeeling, but after 3 steeps I decided that the fruity flavor I was tasting was actually from the Darjeeling itself. The cup produces a dark caramel liquor, with champagne-golden accents. The flavor is overall very smooth, with a silken body and distinct lack of traditional muscatel, but rather this was replaced by a deep fruity character that combined with the body to have a taste almost like a Mckentosh apple. There was a lack of bitterness or astringency, but I was keeping the extractions very short, but was getting the hue I would expect, so I felt this lack of bitterness was a character of the tea. There was also a distinct lack of spicyness that I usually associate with most Darjeelings and while I missed it, I found the smooth fruity character to be quite pleasant.

The fine cut of leaf did allow for some particulate to end up in the cup, but the leaf was soft and fine and pleasant to nibble.

Many thanks to Indigobloom and I will be sending her and a few others some tea very, very soon.

My tea of the morning, accompanied by an awkward tea moment:
So I feel a bit guilty taking up so much time with my extensive tea prep… even though it’s only a few minutes here and there, it does add up. Thus, I try to mitigate it as much as possible. This is why I filled up the kettle to boil and returned to my desk for a minute or two. My cubicle is close enough that I can hear the click of the kettle turning off most of the time.
Except this morning my lovely tea friend who I share much of my tea with had already poured it when I walked in! ack! a white tea…
She is a sweetheart so I really did not mind. Especially since the tea didn’t turn out bitter at all. In fact, the berry overshadowed most of the tea! it brewed up a gorgeous purple colour. Much deeper than I expected. and it smelled heavenly!!
The taste? well that was nice to. Very rich in the berryness.
Odd though, I enjoyed the first steep more than the second. Mostly because the second one was so… weak! I could definitely taste the berry, a little more tart and a whole lot lighter this time. and the white part was a little more present.

I think my love affair with white teas is over :(
There was a day when white tea was my amore. The delicate notes, the crisp dryness. I had so much love… but now?? now I don’t get it at all.
In fact, this one reminds me very much of Strawberry White from David’s tea. At one time that was my fave tea of ALL TIME! Now I haven’t had it in ages, but I strongly suspect that it would not get me a tea high at all. :moment of sadness:
Bah, I’ve fallen in love with a whole range of other teas. Can’t have it all, right?
I shan’t rate this one now. I need to try it again when the leaves are cooked up right. I know it has the potential for me to adore it… I know it does!

Another sample from Indigobloom. Thanks be!
I love Darjeeling and the more tea I drink, the more I love Darjeeling. I choose it, want it, yes even crave it sometimes. This is deep, full and as already stated fruity. That vintage fruit is one of the things I love about a good Darjeeling. This is definitely one of them.
This one lingers long on the tongue after the sip is gone almost begging you to take another and another…

Backlog… #1 of many :)
I never should have purchased this tea. It smelled a bit musty, which is usually my first hint that it won’t agree with me.
For some reason, I get caramel… a whole lot of vanilla (not my thing) and a sugary sort of pear note way off in the background.
Right off the bat I knew it would be too strong for me, so I gave my Aunt the first steep and took the second one for myself. It was ok that way, better than the sip I had of the first steep anyhow!
There isn’t much else to say about it, for me. I will do my best to find this one a good home. Don’t let my standoff with vanilla keep you away! any takers?

I like tea.

But I have a problem with tea.

9 times out of 10, the tea always smells 10 million times than the brewed tea tastes. And no matter that I know this, and keep reminding myself of this, I always get my expectations up when I smell a tea blend that smells really wonderful.

Because they don’t live up to the smell.

This tea did just that. It smelled amazing. And it tasted like a nice green tea with a tiny overtone of wild strawberry. Meh.